Craftsman Exterior Color Scheme

Fall has arrived and we are barreling toward winter in Wyoming. It’s always a gift to watch the trees change colors this time of year.

Speaking of color, I wanted to share a color consultation I did for my father-in-law. He is currently building a spec home and asked me to pick his exterior colors. The home is a modest Craftsman that has nice finishes and an excellent interior layout.

When I was asked to help, my father-in-law had already decided on a shingle color.

I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: Roofs are a color or a collective color. Unless you pick a simple black or do Cedar shakes, you have to use the colors in the roof on the body of your home. Please be careful when you are deciding on new shingles! If you have two or three siding colors, put on simple black shingles. If your siding is only going to be one color, then you can get more creative with your roof. Don’t have a busy roof and busy siding. It doesn’t look good.

My father-in-law’s shingles have lots of blues, greens, and grays. So we picked varying hues of gray with green undertones to go around his house. While the siding was well coordinated, I took him out of his comfort zone and specified a burnt orange front door. He was a good sport and went with it. Here are the before pictures.

And here it is after it was painted.

One more thought before I head off for the day.

So many times when you see a paint color you like, it’s not going to work the same for you as it did for the other person. Even if you get that exact color, it’s going to look different in your house. Test it before you buy gallons of it. You might be surprised if you don’t. And if color is really throwing you for a loop, call me for a color consultation. Together we’ll get a color that works with your home and makes you happy.